


Man's Best Friend

by RikuAxel10



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-31 00:48:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8556067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuAxel10/pseuds/RikuAxel10
Summary: “People always say that a dog is a man’s best friend but I never realized it until I met my best friend. His name is Kurama and he is a silver tiger-striped akita. I met him when I was only 10 years old, and he has been by my side ever since I got him.”





	1. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See notes at the end for a picture of Zack's dog

Chapter 1: Reunion

 

“People always say that a dog is a man’s best friend but I never realized it until I met my best friend. His name is Kurama and he is a silver tiger-striped akita. I met him when I was only 10 years old, and he has been by my side ever since I got him.”

 

A litter of puppies were born in the small village of Gongaga. The father was a well known hunting dog, and the mother was a retired hunter. The litter consisted of 5 puppies: three red, one white, and one silver brindle. The owner of the mother was a good friend of the Fair family, so as requested by the owner, the family got to pick one of the puppies to take home when they were ready.

 

“They’re so cute!” a young boy exclaims, looking at the small puppies nursing off of their mother.

 

“Have you chosen which one you wanted Zack?” the owner of the dogs asks with a smile. The boy, Zack, nodded and picked up the little silver brindle puppy.

 

“Can I have this one?” he asks with a grin.

 

“Ahh...the tora-ge,” the owner says.

 

“What’s a…’tora-ge’?”

 

“They say in Wutai, brindle dogs are called tora-ge. It means tiger-striped. They’re supposed to be incredible dogs especially for hunting. They’re rare and very sought after. If you choose him, you would definitely be getting a partner for life,” the man explains. He only laughed when he heard Zack shout that he wanted the puppy. He held the puppy and cuddled it as if he was never going to let it go, and he laughed when the little puppy licked his face.

 

“So, wanna be my partner, Kurama?” Zack asked the puppy. A small bark was his response.

 

That was three years ago. Zack left Gongaga when he was 14 years old to join SOLDIER, and they refused to let him bring Kurama with him, even when he told them that the akita was his service dog. So the friends parted ways for a while. Zack had becomes a SOLDIER operative despite becoming deaf in one ear from an accident.

 

Now, up on the SOLDIER floor, Zack stood in his usual spot doing squats as he waited for something. He hardly noticed the grin on his face until his mentor, First Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley pointed it out.

 

“Something’s got you excited, pup, what’s up?” Genesis Rhapsodos, another First Class and Angeal’s friend asked.

 

“My...puppy is...getting here...today,” he says through his panting. Zack stopped his exercising and stood to talk to the three Firsts.

 

“You have a dog?” Sephiroth, the final First questions.

 

“He’s my service dog,” he explains, “I’ve been going deaf in my right ear ever since I was a kid from that strange bombing in Gongaga that one day. My dog is also going blind in one eye because of it too,” Zack chuckles, “I’ve always said that he was my ears and I was his eyes with how close we were.”

 

The conversation stopped suddenly when barking sounded from the lobby. Zack’s face lit up like a lightbulb when he recognized the bark, but it fell when he realized, it wasn’t a friendly bark. The Second Class instantly followed his mentor when he said let’s go down and meet the pup. In the elevator on the way down, it was easy to tell that Zack was fidgety.

 

“What’s wrong Zack? I thought you’d be excited to see your dog again,” Angeal states.

 

“His bark, he’s scared,” Zack only said. The three Firsts seemed confused, how did he know what a bark meant? As SOLDIERs, they never really needed to learn what certain barks from dogs meant. They never really interacted with many dogs.

 

Once the elevator opened up, the SOLDIERs were met with a lobby filled with 5 infantrymen and 5 Third Class SOLDIERs. They were shouting about “catching that dog.” Though as soon as one SOLDIER saw the Firsts, he announced that there were Firsts on the premises and most of the people there dropped what they were doing and saluted them. Genesis asked for a report.

 

“We were ordered to bring in this dog for someone but it got loose and started attacking us,” one Third Class says.

 

“What did you do to him? He shouldn’t be this agitated!” Zack speaks up, his feelings for his friend taking over how he should act at work. The Third Class looked startled.

 

“O-One of the newbie Thirds...hit the cage and yelled at him…” he says. Zack looked about to strangle the man but a cry from afar brought his attention elsewhere.

 

The dog had pushed someone out of his way as he ran. A snarl on his face, he growled and barked at anyone who got close, until he turned tail and ran...only to hit one of the support poles in the lobby head on. The dog cried when he collided and fell to the ground, a whimper coming from his throat as his tired body refused to let him back up. As long as no one came near him, he was okay. He could relax and find a way back home.

 

He heard a shout that sounded familiar. His ears twitched at the voice, why did it sound so familiar?

 

“Easy boy…” he heard and he felt someone touch him. A gloved hand which told him it was more of those people who scared him. He growled and snapped. The canine felt his fangs hit something.

 

Zack stood there, kneeling beside his friend with his arm in his mouth. His friend bit him. And he realized why. He had come up on his blind side, and from being scared, made him think he was an enemy. Zack flinched when he had felt his forearm get bit. It froze him for a moment but he leaned down and took the dog’s ear into his mouth and bit down. The dog cried and let go, backing away and rubbing his ear with his forearm, small whimpers coming from him. He looked up, his brown eyes caught sight of the one man he had been missing for the past three years. A stern look on his face made him put his ears back. But a smile replaced it. He leaned over and tapped his thigh with one hand. The dog couldn’t stand it anymore. His paws scraped against the slippery floor as he raced a few feet to his master. Whimpers of joy sounded from the dog as he ran into his friend’s arms. Kisses all over his face, tail wagging 100 Miles Per Hour, and the happy laughter from his master made the dog’s heart race with excitement.

 

“I missed you too buddy,” Zack says with a smile. His face was attacked again by a wet tongue.

 

“Alright, alright, yes, yes I’m happy to see you too Kurama,” he says, pushing the dog off of him. The three Firsts approached Zack from behind and asked if this was his dog he was telling them about.

 

“Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth, this is Kurama. My partner,” Zack introduces. Kurama sat down at held out his paw, asking to shake hands with the three men. Surprisingly, Sephiroth was the first one to take part in such a childish act. After they shook, Kurama barked once and wagged his tail to say it was a pleasure to meet them. They had gotten a good look at the dog now.

 

He was big. A large dog with a thick and muscular body and thick fur. His fur was white and silver and it had black stripes on him making him look like a tiger. On his shoulder was a scar. It looked like whatever gave it to him, caused him much pain as the scar was three claw marks from his shoulder to the middle of his back, near the back of his neck. He also had three smaller claw mark scars on his chest. He had chocolate brown eyes though one of them, his left, was turning white, showing he was becoming blind in that eye. It was easy to tell this dog was physically strong, but why did Zack need him for SOLDIER? It was obvious he was just fine with being half deaf, so why have a dog join SOLDIER?

 

The SOLDIERs returned to the SOLDIER floor and headed to the area where the Firsts slept. Angeal had invited them into his room to figure out what they were going to do with this dog.

 

“Zack,” Angeal spoke up after a long silence, “I know you’re happy to be reunited with your pet, but what are you going to do with him?” Zack looked up from the floor, Kurama laying in his lap.

 

“I figured he would work with me on missions,” Zack states. Kurama wagged his tail, and Angeal sighed.

 

“You’re just going to get distracted with him here.”

 

“Test him,” Zack responds, holding his dog closer to him, “test him in the field with me and see whether or not I get distracted.” Angeal almost frowned.

 

“He has a point Angeal,” Genesis says, “you don’t know if he will get distracted. And by the look of him, that dog is ready to prove you wrong.” Genesis chuckled when he saw the look of determination in Kurama’s chocolate brown eye.

 

“Fine. We will do it tomorrow at 10 AM in the training room. Don’t be late Zack,” Angeal says. He finally frowned when Zack stood and started getting excited about the training tomorrow. He looked down at the tora-ge akita and saw how calm he was. He watched as Zack’s excitement almost made him step on the dog and how quick he moved out of the way before giving one small bark at Zack, which made him relax.

 

“You’re right. Let’s go get some rest. You’ve had a long day,” Zack says and pats Kurama’s fluffy head. The dog stood and began to follow his master towards the door. He waited for Zack to open the door and when he went to walk through, he ran into the door frame.

 

“Oh! Sorry buddy,” Zack apologized, “walk on my right,” he says and moves to the dog’s left side. He made it through the door this time. When the door was shut, Angeal sighed.

 

“I’m getting old dealing with him,” he mutters, rubbing his temples from getting the start of a headache.

 

“I’m glad to have you back by my side partner,” Zack says, laying on his bed in his navy blue boxers, he taps his side and Kurama jumps up and lays down beside him. Kurama moved and snuggled up to Zack, laying his big head on Zack’s arm. The raven-haired man reached over and ran his fingers through the soft fur before running them over the few scars the dog had.

 

“You sure have been through a lot since I’ve been gone…” he mutters. Kurama whimpered.

 

“Right...this one on your chest was from our first hunt together,” he responds, “you protected me from that bear that tried to take our deer.” Kurama wagged his tail. Zack leaned over and kissed the dog’s cheek, only to receive a wet tongue to his face.

 

“You’re the greatest friend I could ever ask for, Kurama,” Zack says, “you and I are gonna prove to Angeal tomorrow that we can work together. Just like we used to.”

 

Kurama barked loudly.

 

“Yeah, I agree. Goodnight Kurama,” Zack says, laying his head down flat and closing his sky blue eyes. Kurama lay there, watching his master sleep. As Kurama lay his head down to fall asleep, he was left with a thought.

 

“As long as we are together, there isn’t anything we can’t do, partner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For your reference, here is a drawing I did of Kurama: http://img15.deviantart.net/72cc/i/2015/296/8/7/kurama_fair_the_tora_ge_akita_by_kamari_inuzuka-d9e3ogl.jpg
> 
> I should also mention that when I began writing this story, I was in a Ginga phase so there are indeed references to both Ginga Nagareboshi Gin an Ginga Densetsu Weed within the story, mainly on how Zack and Kurama fight as well as other things.


	2. The Test

Chapter 2: The Test

 

“What is he doing here?” Zack asks, almost in a squealing voice as he points to the creepy head scientist. Hojo was his name and he was Sephiroth’s father. The man was practically a genius but he was cruel and quite the creep. Even Kurama backed away and growled at the man.

 

“Hojo wants to see what your dog is made of so he prepared a little something for your test today,” Angeal answers.

 

“He has a name y’know,” Zack mutters and walks Kurama into the training room. On the way there, Zack had grabbed a sniper rifle from the weaponry to go along with his sword. The dog seemed calm compared to Zack’s hyper-active self as they waited for the virtual world to appear.

 

When it did, Kurama got scared and cuddled up to Zack, frantically whining from being nervous.

 

“It’s okay boy,” Zack says, patting his head. He kept petting him until he calmed down and the world fully appeared.

 

“What are we going up against, Angeal?” Zack asks. Before Zack could get an answer from his mentor, a large Behemoth appeared in front of them. It roared and lashed its tail angrily, its claws scraping the ground. Immediately, Kurama faced the beast and growled, his chocolate brown eye glaring at the beast and holding it there.

 

“Why isn’t it attacking them?” Hojo grumbled as he took notes. Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal were talking to themselves in the training room. They had gone in as well just in case something got out of hand; and when it comes to Hojo, it usually does.

 

“I think Kurama is scaring the monster,” Genesis mentions, seeing the canine’s defensive stance. The dog had his ears forward, his stance ready to attack as he was crouched down a little, his tail curled tightly and a snarl on his face, his eyes pierced the Behemoth’s soul and stopped it from moving as the two beasts stared each other down.

 

“Keep him there partner,” Zack mutters to his companion as he pulled the sniper rifle off of his shoulder and readied it. Zack aimed and let loose a bullet. The sudden noise startled the beast and it moved, making the bullet hit it in the shoulder and miss its original target. Zack uttered a curse under his breath before shouting an order to Kurama.

 

“Keep it distracted!” he orders and the dog charges forward, barking at the beast. The Behemoth roared and took a swing at the attacking dog only to miss and feel pain in its arm. Kurama had bitten down on the arm and tore at it, leaving a small gash before leaping towards the Behemoth’s neck. It roared and tried to shake off its attacker. Kurama jumped away as he was shaken but charged again, this time jumping up and biting the Behemoth right on the bridge of its muzzle. Another roar and this time, Zack dropped the gun as he kept fiddling with the bullets, it was just wasting time and putting Kurama in danger; he charged forward with his sword instead.

 

A bite here, a cut there, the two looked as if they were working as a single body. Kurama distracted the creature while Zack got in critical hits.But of course as this was a creature designed by Hojo, it wasn’t going to be killed that easily.

 

“They’re working well with each other,” Sephiroth mentions. Genesis and Angeal nod in agreement. Suddenly, they heard a cry of pain. The Behemoth had swatted Kurama away from it, its large claws digging into his leg leaving three deep gashes.

 

“Kurama!” Zack shouts, seeing the blood coming from his companion, he went to help his friend and didn’t see the tail coming for him. The Behemoth’s Gyro Tail knocked Zack away and the giant creature started for the fallen SOLDIER.

 

“Zack!” Kurama thought, seeing the monster go after his master. Zack only heard a bark before he saw a giant paw with razor sharp claws heading down for him. The three Firsts that were watched were prepared to jump in, but what they saw seemed to happen in slow motion.

 

Kurama leaped forward and sprinted as fast as he could towards Zack. He dived in and grabbed the straps connected to the man’s armor tightly in his mouth, and jumped away, barely missing the Behemoth’s claws.

 

He ran, dragging the fallen SOLDIER operative as he sprinted away, towards what looked like the Firsts. But he stopped short.

 

“Thanks partner,” Zack groaned, sitting up. Kurama stood in front of Zack, barking at the monster and then turning and barking at Zack, before repeating the same process. Kurama stepped forward and kicked something towards Zack. The sniper rifle that Zack discarded earlier slid to his side. Kurama barked once at Zack and ran forward, leaping onto the Behemoth’s back and latching onto skin. He bit and jumped down, taking a hunk of meat with him as he ran towards Zack once more.

 

Zack stood and readied the rifle. Kurama barked once at Zack and stood beside him.

 

“Draw it in…” Zack mutters, his eye trained on the beast at a certain point. Kurama ran forward and barked, drawing the Behemoth towards Zack step by step. The Behemoth charged.

 

“Kurama! To me!” Zack shouts and he instantly returns to Zack’s side. Bang. Click.

 

The sound echoed through the room and the Behemoth fell dead a few feet away from the comrades. Zack cocked the gun once more and the empty bullet fell out of the gun. 

 

The Firsts stepped forward to stand next to the Second Class and his pet. As they came forward, Kurama went over to the dead body of the monster. He sniffed it and turned to Zack, giving him a yip that it was indeed dead. Though with how close the bullet was shot, the monster’s face had practically exploded on impact.

 

As the room began to fade along with the beast, the Firsts started telling Zack that he did a good job, Angeal praising and scolding him at the same time though. 

 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve used a gun okay?” Zack defended, turning away from the Firsts to look for his companion. He saw him over by Hojo and the creepy man was looking him over, especially where the dog had gotten hurt on his leg.

 

Zack could tell that Kurama was nervous about being around Hojo because his fur was bristling but he didn’t attack the man. Eventually, he started ignoring Hojo and taking care of the wound on his own; laying down and licking the wound clean.

 

“I’ll go give a report to Director Lazard and let him know how the test went,” Genesis states, bidding his friends farewell for now as he exited the Training Room. Zack walked over to his companion and leaned over to pick up his friend. The dog easily fell into his arms and he curled up so Zack could carry him better.

 

“Let’s go get that fixed up okay?” Zack tells him and exits the room, taking him to the infirmary so he could his leg bandaged. Once inside, he set Kurama on a table and called out the name of the doctor.

 

“Val!” Zack called. From another room, a shorter but very attractive red-head came out and smiled.

 

“Oh hey Zack!” she grins and gives him a hug. Zack hugs her back and asks if she can take a look at his friend. Val turned and looked at the dog. Kurama watched her and barked happily, wagging his tail as his eyes lit up at the cute red-head. She saw the scratch on his leg.

 

“Oh poor thing, what happened to him?” she asks, gently feeling around the leg.

 

“He saved my life during training,” Zack says. He heard his companion whimper when Val got close to his wound.

 

“He’s gonna be stuck with a scar when this heals, but he isn’t in any danger of infection,” she says and moves to grab some bandages so she can start wrapping the canine’s leg. Kurama didn’t fight as she began wrapping the cloth bandages around his leg. 

 

“There, he will be fine, but he needs to not work that leg all that much today, okay Zack?” Val says, turning to her friend. She saw the raven-haired man nod. With a hug, Zack thanked his friend and helped his companion off of the table and out the door they went.

 

“She’s cute huh?” Zack asked his pet. Kurama yipped in response.

 

“Her name is Valeria. I call her Val for short. I tried asking her out once after we became close friends but she told me she’s a lesbian,” Zack says. Kurama whimpered, telling Zack he didn’t know what that was.

 

“She likes girls,” he states. The akita let out a little huff in response. The rest of the walk, Kurama followed Zack. He stayed on his right so that he could see when things got in the way that he could avoid them. He realized they were heading back to his master’s room.

 

Zack opened the door to his room and beckoned his friend inside. Kurama walked in, his injured leg lifted slightly as he made his way over to a corner of the room and lay down. He curled up and tucked his black nose under his silver colored, brindle fur and closed his eyes. But his ears were still pricked up and alert, sensing any danger that would hurt him or his master.

 

Zack couldn’t help but smile at his companion. He was the same as always. Protecting everyone else, over himself. Its how it’s always been when Zack was with him. When he could first walk, when he was able to not need his mother’s milk anymore, when they went on their first hunt together, when they killed their first bear. Kurama had always been with him. And now, his friend was here with him while he was in SOLDIER.

 

“I wonder how far we will go now…” Zack mutters to himself. He chuckled softly when he saw Kurama’s ear twitch. He suddenly lifted his head up and barked once at the door. A moment later, a knock was heard.

 

“Come in,” Zack calls. The door to his room opened and in walked his mentor, Angeal. Angeal hand something in his hand and Kurama got up to sniff it.

 

“Good news Zack,” Angeal says, taking the object away from the canine, “Director Lazard approved of your dog joining SOLDIER. He will be scheduled to get a Mako injection tomorrow morning. You will be off duty until he recovers then will be doing a few practice missions with him to make sure he is able to cooperate with not only you but other SOLDIER operatives as well.” Zack got a wide grin on his face, but Angeal put his hand up to stop him from letting his excitement out.

 

“After his practice missions with you, he will be going on practice missions with other SOLDIERs. Mainly us Firsts because he needs to be able to take orders from someone besides you,” Angeal finishes.

 

“So...he won’t always be working with me then?” Zack asks.

 

“Most of the time he will be with you. But if there is ever a time when he is needed because there is something that only he can do, he will be without you,” Angeal answers. Zack nodded to understand.

 

“Well if that’s the case...then you guys need to learn how to work with him,” Zack mentions.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Kurama is almost blind in one eye, so he needs to walk on the right side of whomever is taking control of him. Whoever is in control of him needs to know that if they’re shooting a gun, to give him certain commands so he will stay out of the way. Because if he gets shot while he is protecting you, he will leave you to die,” Zack explains. Angeal took all of this information as he was given it.

 

“I’ll make sure to relay that to everyone to will work with them. I’ll tell Genesis and Sephiroth first though,” he says. He bid his student farewell and exited the room. Zack waved him goodbye. He turned to Kurama.

 

“You heard that buddy? We get to be partners!” Zack says as the dog came and walked over to him. He took his big fluffy head in his hands and rubbed his cheeks. He kissed his striped forehead and continued rubbing him. Kurama’s curled tail flopped as he gently wagged it.

 

“If you aren’t with me though bud, you have to promise me you will listen to whoever is in charge, okay?” he asks. Kurama licked Zack’s face as if telling the young man that he will do whatever he needs to do. Zack rubbed his partner a few more times.

 

“Good boy,” he says with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The character Val is actually based off of a friend of mine. I thought she would be perfect to work as a nurse in ShinRa.


	3. Begin Mission

Chapter 3: Begin Mission

 

“Wutai troops have hijacked Shinra Express MK93 II. The train is currently headed to Midgar Sector 8. A SOLDIER operative will be inserted to neutralize the situation. We are to proceed as scheduled. Commence mission in: 3...2...1...mark. Begin mission. Operative is ready for insertion.”

 

“The train has been overrun by Wutai troops. Eliminate them and regain control of the train.”

 

The door to the chopper opened and a gust of wind entered, buffeting both the raven-haired boy and his silver-furred companion. The dog looked up at his master when he felt a hand reach down and grab him by the silver metal loop that connected his harness.

 

“Oh yeah!” the man shouted as he picked up his companion and gave a two fingered salute, before jumping out of the chopper while another voice told them to get serious.

 

Zack landed on the moving train and set Kurama down. 

 

“Zack!” the other voice called. Angeal had jumped after them and landed on the train as well. He walked towards them and told Zack to focus, which he earned a glare in response.

 

“There are no Shinra troops on this train. Understood?” Angeal asked. Kurama yipped once. Zack nodded and turned around.

 

“C’mon partner!” he calls and ran forward. Kurama chased after him, easily keeping up with the SOLDIER operative as they jumped from car to car. As Zack landed on the end of one car, bullets from guns below stopped him and made him fall as he looked to “dance” around them. One almost caught him in the arm.

 

“Hello to you too!” he says before getting up and running again, the bullets that flew out of the roof missed both him and Kurama.

 

Up ahead, what looked to be ShinRa Infantrymen were climbing onto the train’s roof. Zack drew his sword and began slicing through the men as they shot at him. He took down the first group and began hitting the middle of the second after jumping over a few of them. The ones he missed, were quickly taken out by the fangs of the bear-hound behind the SOLDIER. A third group locked on a rocket launcher on the SOLDIER. Zack crouched and heard them click into place. Kurama ran up behind him and gripped his armor straps in his mouth, and jumped with all his might, lifting both him and his master into the air as they jumped over the group of attackers. In the air, Kurama let go of Zack and he fell, his sword hitting the target where the train would separate; Kurama landed on the other side and barked at his master to jump over.

 

“Train MK93 II re-routed to Sector 1 Station near Mako Reactor 1. Proceed to mission phase 2 and change surveillance rank…”

 

Zack and Kurama jumped off the train, completing part 1 of their mission. As they moved forward, Zack’s cell phone rang. It was Angeal telling them where they needed to go. As Zack was on the phone, more Infantrymen came out and began shooting at them. Kurama barked and charged forward, not waiting for Zack to give a command. He bit and tossed the men around as he fought. Soon, Zack joined him in the fray. In no time, the assailants were dead. The pair moved forward.

 

As they scaled the stairs, citizens began running away from where they were headed. But as soon as the teammates hit the top, they understood why. In front of them stood a large Behemoth and it looked ready to eat.

 

“Just like last time partner,” Zack says and charged in after Kurama barked and launched himself onto the Behemoth’s muzzle. The two SOLDIERs cut and gave deep wounds to the beast, but it seemed relentless in its attacks.

 

Kurama had to pull Zack away from the beast a few times so he wouldn’t get himself killed, but other than that, the pair worked like one being and killed the beast. But the bliss of victory was cut short.

 

A sword went and put itself to Zack’s throat.

 

“Showing your back to the enemy...Overconfidence will destroy you,” the owner said. Zack put his arms up and saw Sephiroth standing there, ready to kill them both. Kurama growled and launched himself at the Silver General, but was knocked away without effort. The dog went sprawling against a wall and cried as he hit.

 

“Kurama!” Zack shouted and began fending off Sephiroth’s attacks. At a stalemate, Sephiroth broke Zack’s sword and readied himself to kill the raven-haired man.

 

Zack flinched but didn’t feel anything. He looked up to see the shimmering blade, caught by a broken one. Kurama stood there over Zack with the broken sword in his mouth. He had stopped Sephiroth’s blade as Angeal caught up to them. Sephiroth took his sword away and Kurama backed up a little.

 

“Thanks, Kurama,” Zack says as he sat up. Angeal pulled out his phone and aborted the mission. The room, and Sephiroth began to fade back into the training room.

 

“Training’s over.”

 

“Wha? Why?” Zack shouts as he gets up. The mission abort screen appeared on the goggles Zack and Kurama were wearing. Angeal took the broken sword from Kurama and pointed it at Zack.

 

“You serious? I was just getting warmed up!” Zack says as he takes the goggles off. Zack sighed and took his broken sword from his mentor as the dark-haired First began to leave.

 

“Zack...Embrace your dreams.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“If you want to be a hero you need to have dreams...and honor.” That was all Angeal said before he left, leaving Zack and Kurama alone. Kurama went up to his master and whined.

 

“Oh sorry boy,” Zack says and kneels down, taking the training goggles off of the dog and putting them both back on the rack where they belonged.

 

“Let’s go get some rest bud,” he says and leaves the room, his partner in tow.

 

Kurama had gone through the Mako injection just fine. It took him a whole week to receive enough to be considered SOLDIER, but since the practice was never tested on dogs, he had been given small samples each day until he had received enough. The poor dog though couldn’t even stand when under the influence of Mako. He spent a week in the infirmary with Valeria trying to recover and not puke up anything he ate. Luckily he learned where the toilet was so he could puke in there if he needed to.

 

As Kurama’s body adjusted to the Mako intake, his body began to change. His eye that had been going blind cleared up some to the point of where he could see well enough out of it, but he had a feeling it would fade again. Just like Zack’s ear. It healed, then started to go deaf again. To show that he was now a SOLDIER, Zack had a special harness and collar made that had the SOLDIER insignia on it. If the Mako infuse eyes didn’t help, the “uniform” surely would.

 

And as Angeal said, Kurama had gone on practice missions with the three Firsts and other SOLDIER operatives so they could get used to working with him, and him with them. Kurama worked the best with Sephiroth out of all his practice partners and the dog became instantly loved as he had rescued a few younger SOLDIERs who were not as skilled in missions where they would have died during training.

 

Kurama had been popular with everyone, and when he was now able to fully train with Zack, the akita couldn’t have been more happy.

 

The pair headed over to the SOLDIER floor to relax and hang out with friends. Kurama following Zack as he flopped on the couch, Kurama moving to lay by his feet. Zack leaned over and rubbed his head, the dog’s ears flopping about before standing up straight once more. There were not as many SOLIDER operatives on this floor as there usually is. It was strange.

 

Usually after an hour of relaxation, Angeal would come get Zack to train some more. But all was quiet, and it was making Zack uneasy. It had been like this for a while. More relaxation than training. Kurama had moved to take Zack’s warm seat on the couch after his master got up and began doing squats.

 

“Hey Zack, you seem a little on edge,” a familiar voice sounded. Kurama looked over at the Second Class SOLDIER approaching them. He recognized him as Kunsel. Zack continued to do his squats as Kunsel sat down on the steps near the two.

 

“Can you blame me? All this training and no assignments...Like they’re hanging me out to dry,” Zack says as he kept up with usual routine.

 

“You must be pretty busy, with everyone off base,” he adds.

 

“Uh...Off-base? Wait, haven’t you heard?” Kunsel asks, “there’s been a mass desertion at SOLDIER.” Zack stopped his squats and walked closer to his friend.

 

“It appears one of the 1sts deserted and he took a whole bunch of Seconds and Thirds with him too. No one knows why he left, or what he’s up to.” So that was the reason why Zack’s training had suddenly stopped. Kurama’s ears perked up when he heard footsteps. His head shot up and he barked once, alerting the two Seconds near him that a First was approaching. Angeal appeared and stopped in front of the two of them as they stood up straight. Kurama just wagged his tail at seeing Angeal.

 

“Zack, you and Kurama have a new assignment,” he says. Zack couldn’t help but let out his excitement. Kurama followed his partner over to stand near Angeal. He was told that this would be his show. They were to report to Director Lazard’s office as soon as they were ready.

 

“What do you think we’re gonna do boy?” Zack asks on their way to the Director’s office. He had run back to his room to get Kurama’s chain just in case he needed it for the mission.

 

As they entered the room, Director Lazard turned around to greet them.

 

“Zack. It’s good to finally meet face to face. Lazard, Director of SOLDIER,” the blonde man said. He shook hands with Zack. He leaned over and gave Kurama some rubs around his neck.

 

“And of course I remember you,” he adds, making Kurama’s tail wag.

 

“You’ve met him already?” Zack asks the man, watching him pet the akita.

 

“He’s been in here a few times with Sephiroth,” he responds. Zack glanced over at Angeal who was sitting in a chair near the Director.

 

“Now onto business,” he says and sits down in the chair once more. He clicked a few things on the computer in front of him and a screen showing that Genesis Rhapsodos, the First Class SOLDIER was M.I.A. He had gone missing in Wutai a month ago. The mission was stuck in limbo and they were sending Zack, who was recommended for First.

 

Zack jumped on Angeal and thanked him before getting pushed off by the stronger man. Lazard seemed to find this humorous. They were told to pack and get ready to leave as soon as they were ready.

 

The two left and got prepared to leave. Zack grabbed his materia and sword as well as whatever Kurama was going to need. The akita could tell the young man was excited as he couldn’t help but grin the whole time. This mission was going to be interesting for sure.


	4. Kurama's Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really just a placeholder to add more words and it is supposed to be a flashback

Chapter 4: Kurama’s training

 

After Kurama had recovered from his Mako intakes, he was scheduled to train and see how much stronger his body had become from the Mako changing it. His first mission was a practice fight against fake ShinRa Infantrymen.

 

Kurama charged at them and bit the first one, toppling them over and making them lose focus for a moment. He turned and went after the next one, grabbing his leg and throwing him into another man. As they were down, he came by and bit through their necks, killing them instantly. Their fallen bodies disappeared and more showed up.

 

It didn’t matter to Kurama. He turned and ran through the newly formed group, using his Mako sharpened fangs to slice through them like a knife cutting skin. Left and right the bodies fell to the canine and after 10 were defeated, the training was complete.

 

“Wow, that stuff sure did a wonder on you,” Zack says as his canine partner exited the training room. Kurama barked scampered around Zack excitedly.

 

“Yeah, I’m excited to be working with you too boy,” the raven-haired SOLDIER says. Angeal came up to the two and told Zack that Kurama could officially start training with other SOLDIER operatives now that he was used to his newly enhanced body.

 

“He’s strong but you might want to try to keep him out of Hojo’s hands before he turns him into a monster,” Angeal adds before dismissing the two for now. Kurama was to begin training with other operatives at noon.

 

When noon hit, Zack walked Kurama to the training room once more. He bid his friend good luck and watched the dog walk in. Zack couldn’t help but sigh a little as he saw not just a dog walking into that room, he saw a SOLDIER entering that room.


	5. Mission in Wutai

Chapter 5: Mission In Wutai

 

Lazard had announced that he would be going with them on this mission so he could make sure Zack was truly eligible to become a First.

 

The trip to Wutai was long. As soon as they landed, Zack, Angeal, and Kurama were off on their mission. They were to head to Fort Tamblin and wait for B Unit.

 

A small Wutai unit attacked and after Zack dealt with them, the three SOLDIERs moved on down the path. Angeal had asked Zack if he knew anything about dumbapples. Zack didn’t know and Angeal couldn’t help but tease him that he would never make First if he didn’t know. Zack begged him to tell him but the dark-haired SOLDIER refused until later.

 

They were called Banora White and the trees grew apples at random times of the year. So the townsfolk of Banora nicknamed them “dumbapples.” Zack was confused as to why he needed to know that, but Angeal simple said that no story isn’t worth hearing. Angeal laughed and walked off, Kurama in tow with him.

 

The group of three continued along the stone path to the rendezvous point; a few Wutai soldiers attacked here and there but were quickly dealt with.

 

“B Unit will set off an explosion. That’s our cue,” Angeal explains.

 

“The diversion will allow us to infiltrate?”

 

“Right. I’ll set the bomb inside the fortress. You and Kurama will charge the front gate, and…indulge yourself.” Zack got excited again. He couldn’t wait patiently.

 

Kurama lay there, watching the building up front as he listened to Zack ask Angeal about his sword. Angeal told him that use brought about wear, tear, and rust and that it would be a waste for the sword to get damaged. But suddenly, the explosion went off, signaling the start of the mission. Kurama leaped forward before Zack and entered the outside of Fort Tamblin, instantly attacking any Wutai warrior that came close to him. He and Zack cut through each soldier one by one until they either fled, and or their numbers dwindled down to nothing. The pair burst inside the fort.

 

“Hey, you take one way, I’ll take another. We will take these guys all out, okay?” Zack mutters to his partner. Kurama nodded and jumped down, taking out one Wutai warrior as he went and ran off to the right, barking and causing as much noise as he could to draw attention to him.

 

As Zack went around and raided whatever chests he could find, he gradually caught up to his companion. As he went, he saw monsters and soldiers dead and a few that had deep cuts on them, signaling that Kurama had gotten a hold of them.

 

Zack continued to fight and he began losing sight of his friend. He could only tell where he was by the sounds of his barks, and then they disappeared altogether.

 

“Awwwwooooooo!” sounded from farther up. It was Kurama’s signal howl. He had found the entrance into the main area of Fort Tamblin. Two more howls of the same tone sounded, telling Zack that Kurama was telling him to come to him.

 

“I’m coming bud!” Zack breathes as he begins sprinting his way over to his dog.

 

Around his body, three of those strange dog-like monsters lay around him. Fort Tamblin was theirs.

 

“Let’s go bud,” Zack says and pushes the door open to reveal the central area of the Fort. Kurama went and waited on the steps as Zack searched around the area for any goodies he could take home. After grabbing the few that he found, he headed back over to his companion who was waiting patiently on the stone steps that led inside the temple-like building.

 

“What is it boy?” Zack asks after hearing Kurama whine as he looked at the strange building and the statues around it.

 

“One, avoid unnecessary training,” a voice says.

 

“Two, protect Wutai at all costs! Three...ugly Shinra SOLDIER dudes and their dogs...must be PUNISHED!”

 

Kurama whined again and he looked up at the steps. There stood a young girl, still possibly a child. She was dressed like a Wutai ninja.

 

“Who are you?” Zack asked her.

 

“I am Wutai’s greatest warrior! If you wanna go further, you have to go through me!” she says as she stroke a prideful pose. Zack told her to go home to her parents. 

 

“You’re the one who’s going home!” she shouts as she appears behind the partners. She insisted that they fight. She ran towards Zack and began throwing punches at him, but none of them even got close to him. He faked getting hurt and fell to the ground and Kurama whined looking at him. The girl shouted something about bringing peace to Wutai and ran off. Zack stood and went to the building.

 

“Stay outside and take care of anyone who comes after me okay?” Zack tells his friend. Kurama barked once and sat down outside of the door.

 

The akita waited patiently for his master to finish clearing out the inside of the building. Kurama glanced back at the door and he whimpered to himself. He had a bad feeling about whether his friend would be okay, but he was given an order and he had to follow it unless he was proven wrong, that everything was not okay.

 

He felt the ground rumble a little behind him and a pair of roars sounded from behind. He figured it was those Anti-SOLDIER monsters Wutai had made. Kurama stood and faced the door, ready to charge in.

 

“He finally in there?” a voice asks and Kurama turned to face its owner. It was Angeal. He came and pet the dog as he called Zack, telling him that they had 5 minutes to get out of there.

 

“Ah!” Kurama heard sound from the temple. His master was in trouble. Without hesitation, Kurama charged into the building, a loud howl sounding from his throat.

 

Inside, Zack lay against a wall with his sword drawn at a third Anti-SOLDIER monster. He was cornered and he looked out of breath. He looked up as he heard a howl sound and a blue stream of light erupted from the door. The light was headed straight towards the monster and went through it’s shoulder. The monster stopped moving for a moment before it twitched and its entire arm fell away from its body. The body fell back in a pile of dust and blood, and the blue light ended behind the monster. As the light dimmed down, Kurama stood there as if he was ready to attack once more. As soon as he saw that Zack was okay, he ran over to him and began licking his face.

 

“You saved me again partner,” Zack says rubbing his friend’s shoulder, “I never knew you could do something like that.” Kurama just whimpered and wagged his tail. Suddenly, the canine snarled and turned around to see the limbless monster ready to attempt an attack again, before it was brought to the ground once more. This time, it was Angeal. He had slain the monster with his sword.

 

“Oh...sorry if we got any wear, tear, or rust on your sword,” Zack says. Angeal laughed and sheathed his sword, reaching his arm out to help Zack up. Zack took his hand and stood up. It was about time they left before they were blown up along with the monsters and the temple.

 

On their way back to base, Lazard ran to them and caught up with them.

 

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m not used to being on site,” he says a little out of breath. The blonde man turned to Zack. He had told him that the day of him becoming a First doesn’t seem far off with how well he did on the mission. Out of excitement, Zack began doing squats. Kurama growled and grabbed one of Zack’s belts and pulled the man to the ground in an attempt to stop embarrassing himself.

 

“C’mon, Sephiroth is waiting for us,” Angeal says and began to lead the way to the meeting spot. As Angeal and Lazard walked away, three strange men came and surrounded Zack and Kurama. They didn’t look like Wutai troops and they didn’t fight like them either. They used a pair of knives. Once taken out, more of them showed up when Zack and Kurama caught up to Angeal and Lazard. They were given orders to take Lazard to a safe place before returning to help.

 

“We’re coming Angeal,” Zack mutters to himself as he and Kurama ran towards the last spot they saw the First Class SOLDIER.

 

As they arrived in the area, they found two dead enemies...and a summon being called out. It was Ifrit. But there was no Angeal. The two SOLDIERs were brought into the world of Ifrit as they were now going to have to defeat the summon to continue along the path.

 

Kurama jumped forward and was instantly hit away. He cried and backed off. Zack realized he couldn’t let Kurama fight Ifrit so he would be left alone to fight the summon.

 

Kurama lay there and watched his master fight hard against the summon, until finally it fell to his blade. The Second Class SOLDIER went to have a look at the akita to make sure he was okay and not burned, but Ifrit stood up once more, getting ready to take aim at Zack again. The fireball it shot never hit Zack since Sephiroth had come in and blocked it before defeating Ifrit once and for all.

 

Zack stood there in awe as he saw the super SOLDIER work. It was his first time seeing the man in action. He seemed to ignore Zack as he went over to the bodies of the dead warriors and pulled the helmets off.

 

“Genesis…” he mutters. They were Genesis copies. Zack didn’t understand and he seemed upset over the situation.

 

“Where is Angeal?” Sephiroth asks.

 

“I thought he was fighting around here…” Zack mutters. The two SOLDIERs heard a bark and then a whine from Kurama. He was sniffing the Ifrit materia and then picked it up in his mouth and whined again. It was Angeal’s.

 

“Humph, so he’s gone too…” the silver-haired SOLDIER groans as he takes the materia from Kurama. Zack had gotten offended at what Sephiroth said. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t believe Angeal had betrayed them.

 

The ride home to Shinra was long and quiet. Zack had been in the same chopper with Sephiroth on the way home now that the war was over. Kurama lay on the floor in between Zack and the Silver General. Every once in awhile, the man would lean over and stroke Kurama’s silver fur for a few minutes before sitting back in the seat and crossing his arms as he looked out the window.


	6. Angeal's Betrayal

Chapter 6: Angeal’s Betrayal

 

Zack never seemed to recover from the thought that Angeal had betrayed SOLDIER. Kurama would be up late and listen to him mutter Angeal’s name in his sleep along with other words like “don’t go” or “come back.”

 

Sephiroth had taken Kurama out to Wutai and other places along with some of Angeal’s stuff in order to attempt to track the man down. But every time, they came back empty handed. Zack still believed that Angeal hadn’t betrayed SOLDIER, but with more and more evidence showing up of his disappearance, he couldn’t help but begin to think that it was true.

 

Many days had past since Zack began to give up hope. He was in the SOLDIER floor doing his usual routine of squats before he got a phone call.

 

“SOLDIER Second Class Zack?” the voice asked. 

 

“That would be me. Who is this?” he responds.

 

“Director Lazard wants to see you. Go to the briefing room,” and with that the call ended.

 

“C’mon boy,” he calls and heads off to the briefing room. As soon as he was inside, he asked Lazard if there was any word of Angeal yet. There was none. No contact to family either. But that wasn’t what they were called here for.

 

“You two have a new assignment. I want you both to go to the hometown of our missing SOLDIER First Class, Genesis,” Lazard states. They were to go and investigate the town and make sure no one was hiding anyone, or anything. He motions to the door behind them.

 

“He, will go with you,” he says and a man in a black suit and a ponytail walked in.

 

“Tseng, of the TURKS,” he introduced, “let me know when you’re ready to go.” He seemed to ignore the fact that the dog was there. Kurama growled and Zack gave him an unhappy stare.

 

“Hey that’s not nice,” he says and taps the akita’s nose. Kurama sneezed and left Zack’s side, walking out of the door as if he was angry. The pair left to go get ready. Though not really wanting to get this assignment started, they left the briefing room altogether.

 

“Oh hey guys,” a voice greeted them. Kunsel was standing outside the doorway, “I was just about to call you up and ask if you wanted to go down to Sector 8 for a bit.”

 

“Sure thing,” Zack answers and they follow their friend outside the building. The two friends talked, catching up on news about each other and what they’ve encountered so far. Once they hit the lobby, Zack had stopped at the entrance and clipped the chain he had in his pocket to his companion’s harness.

 

“I thought you kept that in your room?” Kunsel asks.

 

“I started carrying it around everywhere with me since when we go to Sector 8 people think he’s mean,” Zack explains. Kunsel just nodded and they continued outside.

 

The three friends reached the fountain in the street and Kunsel had gotten their attention...well...Zack’s attention. Kunsel had said something about not regretting not doing anything before going on a mission and left. Zack sighed.

 

“Man...I can’t believe he ditched us,” Zack says. He puts his hands in his pockets, letting the handle of the chain rest around his wrist and dangle from the weight.

 

“I suppose we could walk around for a little though,” he states and begins to walk off towards LOVELESS Ave. Kurama trailing beside him.

 

The partners spent about an hour traversing the different sectors before returning to the ShinRa Building.

 

“May as well get this over with,” he says and heads towards the briefing room again. He hadn’t even bothered taking Kurama’s chain off.

 

“Ready to go?” Tseng asks.

 

“A routine job right? Should be easy,” Zack states.

 

“I wonder...Originally, Sephiroth was assigned to this mission. That means it’s a top-priority matter. Be alert, or you’ll fail.”

 

“That’s what he’s here for,” Zack says motioning to his dog on a leash, “he’s my ears so he will alert me. By the way, what about Sephiroth?”

 

“Refusing to go, apparently.”

 

“Oh what is that? They spoil that guy too much!” Zack whines. Tseng laughed.

 

“Why don’t you say that to his face?” he states.

 

“No thanks!” Zack begged, hoping Tseng wouldn’t tell anyone he said that.

 

A chopper had dropped the three of them off on the outskirts of the Banora village. It was lush and green and it seemed like the nice place. Very content, just like home in Gongaga. 

 

“Those are some weird-looking trees,” Zack mutters.

 

“They are Banora White trees, AKA, Dumbapples” Tseng answers as he continues to walk ahead of the SOLDIER.

 

“Wait so we are in Banora?” Zack asks. He was told that Angeal and genesis grew up together so this was their hometown. The small conversation ended with three Genesis copies appeared and attacked. Zack had taken care of them quickly.

 

When Genesis had deserted SOLDIER, he had taken a large arsenal of equipment with him as well as other SOLDIERs who would follow him to the end. Some of the things he took were ShinRa security weapons as well as the things needed to make copies of himself.

 

“So we have to go and get it back then?” Zack asks.

 

“That is correct,” Tseng says.

 

“Alright!” Zack says and kneels down to unlatch the chain on Kurama’s harness, “we’ll run on ahead and see if we can find anything.”

 

The two partners encountered a few more Genesis copies on the way to a large house. In front of it was a large machine and two copies, which Zack took care of quickly. The machine activated and armed itself.

 

They had recognized it as the Guard Spider, a large robot with six legs and the ability to take down hordes of enemies with its guns.

 

“Stay out of this will ya?” Zack tells Kurama who only whined and stepped back to give Zack his room to fight.

 

Zack hacked and slashed at the machine with his sword, hitting the joints that kept it together and soon the thing began to fall apart from parts being destroyed. It fell and began smoking as it started short circuiting. The machine would not be able to be used again unless it was rebuilt.

 

Tseng caught up to the two of them and told them they should hurry.

 

“There hasn’t been any townspeople sightings yet so we should check the homes,” Tseng says. Zack nods and runs off with his companion in tow. Tseng followed behind shortly.

 

The three ShinRa troops appeared at the beginning of the village. There were houses that followed the path in a circle and led up into the mountains. Zack stepped to the side to look up at a large house.

 

“This is Genesis’s home. His parents are wealthy landowners,” Tseng says. As Zack’s eyes moved over to the large tree in the yard, he remembered what Angeal told him. He never stole from the wealthy man’s tree because the man’s son, was his friend.

 

Genesis and Angeal grew up together and were best friends. Genesis deserts, and gets his best friend to come join him. At least that’s what was believed by Sephiroth and Director Lazard.

 

Tseng turned and pointed to a fresh grave by a tree.

 

“A gravestone...still very new...Zack, go find Angeal’s house. I’ll check the grave,” Tseng says and begins walking toward it.

 

“So you TURKS always gotta do this kind of stuff?” Zack asks, a little disgusted at the fact that Tseng had to go check a fresh grave.

 

“Someone has to do it,” he responds, moving out of the way of Kurama who had his nose to the ground, sniffing out for Angeal’s home.

 

“Must be rough…”

 

“Don’t worry. We’re paid much better than you are,” Tseng says, making Zack stop in his tracks. He was about to ask if that was true, but a loud bark from Kurama brought him out of his trance. He must have caught something.

 

As Tseng kneeled down the check the grave, Kurama barked once more, but this time it was an aggressive bark. Zack saw him launch himself at a Genesis Copy that had unfortunately wandered into the canine’s path. A strong bite to the neck, and the Copy had died.

 

“Alright bud, lead me to it,” Zack says, patting the canine who had gotten blood on his silver and white fur. Kurama walked forward and walked past each house until he came to the last one and sat in front of it. Zack had decided to check the other houses to see if anyone was inside. While he waited, Kurama began licking his chest where the blood had gathered.

 

“Alright, this is it?” Zack asked. A whimper from the dog. Zack knocked and heard a voice tell them to come in.

 

“Can I help you?” a voice of a kind woman sounded as they walked in. In a chair at a table sat an older woman with black hair, a white shirt, a brown skirt and a green shawl around her shoulders. She sounded very kind and it made the two males relax. Kurama looked up at Zack as he stuttered out a question. 

 

“Uh...greetings, ma’am!” Zack starts, trying to keep his manners, “are you Angeal’s mother? My name is Zack.” The woman looked away for a second and closed her eyes as if she was thinking of something.

 

“Are you...Zack the puppy?” she asks after turning to face them again. Kurama’s tail wagged at hearing the nickname he had become familiar with over his time at SOLDIER after working with his master and Angeal. Zack had groaned at the nickname, making the woman laugh softly. She suddenly got more serious.

 

“You’re not here together with Genesis, are you?” she asks.

 

“No, I’m not. Don’t worry,” he responds.

 

“What is happening with my son?” she asks, her face falling a little. Kurama couldn’t help but sneak over to her and rest his head on her lap, one of her hands came and rested on his head, gently rubbing one of his ears. 

 

“I’m not really sure, ma’am,” Zack apologized. She turned back to the table, her fingers still running through Kurama’s fur. She had told them about Genesis coming back a month ago with an army. They killed many of the townspeople. Angeal had come home as well, but left his sword. Zack glanced over and saw the Buster Sword, sitting there against the wall. He looked at it in awe and told the woman that he hardly ever used it. That sword represented their family’s honor. Zack moved to kneel down beside her. He put a hand on Kurama’s back and stroked it once.

 

“I’ll take care of Angeal,” Zack started but was met with a growl.

 

“Okay okay, we will take care of Angeal,” he corrects with a small chuckle, “you should go hide somewhere.” The woman turned away.

 

“Don’t be concerned. Genesis...cannot harm me,” she said. Zack stood and patted his thigh twice, signaling to his companion that they should get going. He took one last glance at the Buster Sword, and headed out the door. As soon as they stepped outside, a few Genesis Copies had broken down a barricade that led up to the mountain. Zack charged forward and cut through them with ease.

 

Rriiing. Zack’s phone sounded from his pocket. It was Tseng.

 

“There’s a factory on the outskirts of town. I saw a few Genesis Copies run in there,” he said. It must have been their headquarters. They were ordered to come to a cliff top that overlooked the factory. As Zack hung up, he pulled Kurama’s leash from his pocket and clipped it on the harness so he wouldn’t run off if he found a better way inside. The walk was slow until they came to a fork in the road. One road went up, the other went to the factory. Kurama saw that and began pulling Zack towards the entrance to the factory.

 

“Kurama no!” Zack growls, tugging on the leash and pulling the dog back, “we can’t go that way!” Kurama snorted but followed his master where they needed to go.

 

As the two got to the top, they saw Tseng kneeling down, looking into the factory.

 

“Genesis’s parents were in those graves,” Tseng states.

 

“Wait, he...murdered his own family?” Zack mutters surprised.

 

“We can’t expect reason from him. What about Angeal? Did you two find anything?”

 

“He wasn’t at home. But give us time. We can try to talk to him. If we can convince Angeal, maybe Genesis will come back too,” Zack says. He hadn’t noticed that Kurama was steadily watching the windows of the factory, his tail curled tightly and his ears pointed forward. Tseng chuckled.

 

“No wonder Sephiroth chose you two,” he mutters. It was time to move.

 

Zack and Kurama jumped first, breaking through the glass roof and landing hard on the metal floor of the second floor. As if on cue, three Genesis copies appeared to take on Zack. He unclipped Kurama’s leash and stuffed it back in his pocket.

 

“Go on ahead with Tseng,” he orders. The dog turned and ran off with the man in the suit. The canine sniffed around for any clues and his ears were always pricked for sound, making sure Zack was okay as he explored on his own. Kurama led Tseng into a back room and began sniffing around in there. Eventually, Zack had come in.

 

Tseng was on the computer.

 

“It looks like the Copies are being made here. Go check the second floor,” he says. Kurama was waiting at the door to the stairs and followed Zack up. As they neared the top, Kurama’s ears perked up and the smooth velvety voice of a familiar SOLDIER First Class sounded.

 

“Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess  
We seek it thus, and take to the sky  
Ripples form on the water’s surface  
The wandering soul knows no rest.”

 

LOVELESS, ACT 1. There by the large windows, sat Genesis Rhapsodos, the Crimson General. He sat there, reading his book for the nth time. He glanced over at Zack and Kurama and scoffed softly. The room went quiet for a moment and Kurama’s fur was bristling. He was unsure as to what Genesis was going to do but he was ready to fight just in case.

 

“Settle down…doggies,” the man says, referring to Zack’s nickname and the canine partner he had. Zack and Kurama growled as Tseng ran in. He instantly went to a machine that had a green glow to it. Inside was a Genesis copy.

 

“The grave at the house…” Tseng starts, turning to Genesis, “we found the remains of our people there as well.”

 

“It didn’t take much to have them send false reports. Just some...mild threats…” Genesis responds.

 

“They would have done that anyway. At least your parents would have,” Zack snaps. He received a glare from the red SOLDIER as he stood.

 

“My “parents” betrayed me. They had always betrayed me, from the very beginning...what do you know, ShinRa lapdogs!” Genesis shouts and throws a ball of fire at Tseng, throwing him into the machine behind him. Zack instantly drew his sword and Kurama charged forward, a snarl on his face. But he couldn’t move. Genesis stood there watching them before welcoming the new member into the room. There stood Angeal. He had grabbed Zack’s sword and Kurama’s harness.

 

“I see...you’ve finally made your decision. I’ll respect your wishes, old friend. However…” Genesis trails off. He stepped forward enough to stand next to Angeal. 

 

“Can you really live on that side?” he says, and walks away. Zack turned and called Angeal’s name. The black haired man turned and tossed the canine he had in his arms at Zack, pushing him back before shoving the sword he held into the ground. Kurama and Zack fell to the floor for a moment before Angeal scoffed and left the room. Zack pushed the dog off of him and grabbed his sword, running after his mentor. Kurama whimpered as he stood up, being left alone in the room with an injured Tseng.

 

The akita moved over to the hurt TURK and licked his cheek a few times.

 

“I-I’m alright,” Tseng says, patting the tiger-striped akita, “go help Zack, he needs you more than I do.” Kurama whimpered and left, sprinting down the stairs to catch up with his master. Zack was headed outside the factory and a pack of Guard Hounds appeared. A howl of anger sounded and Kurama shot forward, surprising Zack, and taking down one of them with a swift bite to the neck before moving on and fighting the rest.

 

Kurama began to get overrun. One Guard Hound grabbed one of his legs and pulled, another grabbed his neck and pulled. They turned him over, pushing him onto his back while another took a bite at his stomach. The akita whimpered in pain but still continued to fight as he had gripped another by its neck; it’s tentacle cutting Kurama across the bridge of his nose in attempt to have him let go.

 

The sound of bullets whizzed by Zack and took out the Hounds attacking Kurama. He jumped up and returned to Zack’s side, panting hard. Tseng stood there with his gun out, the tip smoking from firing off bullets.

 

“We have to leave now,” he says.

 

“We gotta go look for Angeal and Genesis!” Zack responds.

 

“There is no time. I ordered an Airstrike on the village. It will be neutralized soon. Go rescue whoever is at Angeal’s home, you have enough time to do so,” Tseng says. As soon as Kurama heard that, he sprinted forward, leaving the two men behind and using his fangs to cut through the Guard Hounds that stood in the way. Zack thought it was strange for Kurama to act without orders, but at this point he wasn’t going to complain. Tseng shot a path through for Zack and the SOLDIER ran after his partner.

 

As Zack stepped outside, he had lost sight of Kurama. He could only assume that the dog had already gotten to the village. As he neared, he thought he heard fighting. Kurama’s growls and then suddenly, a yelp. Zack stepped inside Angeal’s home and saw his mother lying on the floor, dead. To her side, Kurama was on his side against the wall, whimpering softly. He was too late. He didn’t save her. Behind him, he hadn’t realized Angeal was standing there with his Buster Sword drawn, one of his gloves had bits of Kurama’s fur in them and there was a bleeding bite on his sword arm, showing that Angeal had to protect himself from the SOLDIER dog. Out of anger, Zack attacked his mentor.

 

“What the hell did you do, Angeal!?” Zack shouts, gripping the man by his shirt collar and slamming him against the wall. He pulled him back and punched him in the cheek, making the older man stumble out the door and fall onto his back.

 

“Is that...is that your idea of honor!? Killing your own mother and hurting a dog!?”

 

“My mother...could not continue to live. And neither...can the son,” Angeal says, picking himself up off the ground. It was obvious he was upset at the fact that his mother was dead, but it didn’t excuse the fact that he was the one that killed her.

 

“What are you talking about! What’s going on here?!” Zack yells. He felt Kurama come and rub against his leg.

 

“I told you,” a voice says, “you can’t live on that side anymore.” It was Genesis. His pretty face held a smirk that just unsettled the two “ShinRa lapdogs.” Kurama growled and launched himself at Genesis, only to be hit away with ease. Angeal looked at Kurama trying to pull himself to his feet again. He put his Buster Sword on his back and walked off, telling Kurama to stay down.

 

“Angeal!” Zack calls, running after the man but fell as Genesis tripped him, making him fall into the dirt. Zack called his name again, making the man glance over at the screaming young man and the now barking canine, before continuing to walk away.

 

“My friend, do you fly away now?  
To a world that abhors you and I?  
All that awaits you is a somber morrow  
No matter where the winds may blow”

 

Zack kept shouting at Genesis to shut up as he spoke his poetry, but he held up a glowing orange orb.

 

“I don’t see Sephiroth today, but...are you game?” he asks, using the Summon Materia he had in his hand. Zack stood, his canine partner coming next to him as a bright light brought them into the Summon’s world. Down came a dragon. Bahamut. Bahamut roared at them and Kurama got into a fighting stance, ready to take on the giant creature.

 

Zack drew his sword and charged at the beast. Kurama attacked what he could to deal damage. The akita kept aiming at his wings, trying to tear at them to stop the beast from flying. But as a Summon, Bahamut wasn’t normal and tears in his wings would probably not stop him anyways. This one seemed tougher than Ifrit was, but with the two of them working together, like against the Behemoth, they managed to bring down the creature; though both of them were pretty injured by the time they had finished. Bahamut disappeared and returned to his Materia form, falling to the ground and rolling over to Zack’s feet. He picked up the orange orb and stuffed it in his pocket before the two had returned to the current world.

 

They were faced with Genesis once more.

 

“Summons aren’t meant to be used like this! What happened to dreams and honor?” Zack says. Genesis wasn’t facing them but his posture could tell them that he was upset.

 

“We are...monsters…” he says. He took a gloved hand and put it up to his face, concentrating for a moment before shooting his arm out to the side. Along with it jutted a large black feathered wing. Feathers fell around them as he flapped the wing once. Genesis looked over his shoulder.

 

“We have neither dreams nor honor,” he says before launching himself into the sky and flying away. Zack looked in awe as he caught a feather in his hand.

 

“SOLDIER...doesn’t mean monster…” he mutters, “...right?” he looked down at Kurama whose Mako blue eyes watched him. Zack felt like he needed reassurance at the thought of SOLDIER operatives being monsters. But seeing the innocent look of his dog, who is a SOLDIER operative, told him that they weren’t. Because if Kurama wasn’t a monster, neither was he.

 

Zack’s phone rang.

 

“Zack, time to go. The Airstrike will commence shortly,” Tseng says. He told him that he would be up on the cliff where they were earlier and there would be a chopper waiting for them there. Zack clipped the leash to Kurama’s harness and the two ran off to the pick up point.

 

As they got there, they heard the bombers flying by and the bombs that began dropping on the village of Banora. Zack felt saddened by seeing it destroyed, but he couldn’t do anything about it. The chopper came and picked them up like it said, and as it flew away, Zack couldn’t help but hold onto Kurama as he watched the flames burn everything to the ground.

 

“Angeal…”


End file.
